MTEC Headlights Installed -- couple issues

Beerflakes · 03-12-2007, 10:28 AM

So I finally got my H7 MTEC headlights installed. I purchased them by making an offer for $300 shipped to the guy who sells them on ebay.

First off, nobody wanted to install these for me. A local bodyshop quoted me at 9+ hours of labor because they didn't know what they were doing and probably wanted to scare me away so that they wouldn't have to deal w/ it. Other estimates I had gotten were $150+ with no guarantees. BMW wouldn't even touch it...

So I finally sacked up and decided to do it myself w/ a little help from my friends (wow, wonder years flashback.)

Here's my experience:- It took MUCH longer than I had expected (3-4 hours), though a lot of this may have been contributed to the fact that I did *NOT* remove or lower the bumper.
- I had to remove the airbox/intake to reach the driver-side light. This took about 20seconds.
- Finding a place to mount the ballasts is a pain, there's not a whole lot of room...

The Result?

- Lights are friggin sweet... bright and sexy as hell
- Occasional light error which goes away in about 5seconds. This does not happen all the time.
- My lights are no longer leveled. One is slightly higher than the other and blinds motorists in front of me. I've gotten quite a few pissed off looks...

This being said, does ANYONE know how to level non-adaptive headlights??? This is one my major priorities right now...
Edit: Found my answer in DIY section, will correct this when I get off work!

Other than that, overall good experience and I'm glad I bought them. Good luck to the rest of you who are considering the upgrade.

EDIT: Alright. I tried the whole trying to take pics of lights thing and it just isn't working out. If you've got any tips on how to do this properly please let me know and I'll get pics up right away... I did, however, take a video. Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9uGGQARi2A

2009BMW335 · 03-12-2007, 10:32 AM

sweet, glad to hear you did the install yourself!!! and that you enjoy them

canucklion · 03-12-2007, 10:41 AM

HID in the halogen house = dispersed light gallore

NaViT · 03-12-2007, 11:29 AM

i love HIDs but i didnt know it was much of a mission to do it on these new cars

Beerflakes · 03-12-2007, 11:31 AM

It would have been cake if the relays weren't required. The relays require you to ground a wire and feed one to the battery.

cm3rc · 03-12-2007, 11:48 AM

pics pics!! lol did you have to "customize" yours? cuz longtran and ksfrogman did mine.. took about 4hrs..

Minipuck V 2.0 · 03-12-2007, 12:02 PM

it is not going to be level ... i believe it is the left side that is aimed higher so it lights up road signs to the right a lot more ...

cm3rc · 03-12-2007, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minipuck V 2.0

it is not going to be level ... i believe it is the left side that is aimed higher so it lights up road signs to the right a lot more ...

haha i was wondering why the right was aimed higher... sounds reasonable...i guess..

Beerflakes · 03-12-2007, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cm3rc

haha i was wondering why the right was aimed higher... sounds reasonable...i guess..

Did you re-aim yours?

DFW_M · 03-12-2007, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cm3rc

pics pics!! lol did you have to "customize" yours? cuz longtran and ksfrogman did mine.. took about 4hrs..

two experts + 4 hours...forget it

GUNN · 03-12-2007, 05:24 PM

I actually just ordered the MTEC 6000k's... are they going to be uneven??

hhkim · 03-12-2007, 05:34 PM

lol didnt wanna do that....but kinda necessary

show us those unleveled dispersed lights!

KkSc · 03-12-2007, 05:57 PM

you need to take away the air box to put the light in??is it easy to take it off and put it back??

DFW_M · 03-12-2007, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keith7872

you need to take away the air box to put the light in??is it easy to take it off and put it back??

you don't need to do that to replace the bulb.
I am not sure what else needs to be dome with MTEC.

Beerflakes · 03-12-2007, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keith7872

you need to take away the air box to put the light in??is it easy to take it off and put it back??

I took the airbox out but only because I wanted to avoid taking off the bumper. If you take the bumper off you don't need to remove the airbox, but it helps because it frees up a ton of space.

The MTEC e90 kit from ebay comes with the bulbs, ballasts, relays so that the car doesn't throw an error message.

Basically you'll need to connect a few things as shown in the installation instructions, drill a hole in each of the headlight covers to run the wires through, swap out headlight bulbs, mount the ballasts, connect everything, ground a wire, run a wire to the battery and then it'll work.

It was a pain in the ass but I love it.

KkSc · 03-12-2007, 06:21 PM

cuz i dun want to remove the bumper too, so is it really easy to take off the airbox, air box is the black one behind the bumper right?after all is it simple to put if back?

Beerflakes · 03-12-2007, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keith7872

cuz i dun want to remove the bumper too, so is it really easy to take off the airbox, air box is the black one behind the bumper right?after all is it simple to put if back?

Removing the airbox would be the easiest step in this process... it involves removing 2 screws, loosening one fastener and just pulling it off.

KkSc · 03-12-2007, 06:32 PM

oh..that's good...thx!!

Beerflakes · 03-12-2007, 06:51 PM

Here is the manual.

GUNN · 03-12-2007, 07:47 PM

sweet..... now let's see some car pics!!!!

montreal_bimmer · 03-12-2007, 09:34 PM

congrats on the DIY

Beerflakes · 03-12-2007, 11:54 PM

I posted this above but incase you didn't see it, I wasn't able to take pics because I'm photographically retarded. However, I did record a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9uGGQARi2A

By the way... I did end up leveling them. They were aimed very high as well, I realized this after people continuously drove by either covering their eyes from the light, giving me the finger, flashing or honking. All is good now.

03-12-2007, 10:28 AM	#1
Beerflakes Lieutenant 150 Rep 409 Posts Drives: 2020 X5, 2021 M550i (soon) Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: MO iTrader: (3)	MTEC Headlights Installed -- couple issues (Video now!) So I finally got my H7 MTEC headlights installed. I purchased them by making an offer for $300 shipped to the guy who sells them on ebay. First off, nobody wanted to install these for me. A local bodyshop quoted me at 9+ hours of labor because they didn't know what they were doing and probably wanted to scare me away so that they wouldn't have to deal w/ it. Other estimates I had gotten were $150+ with no guarantees. BMW wouldn't even touch it... So I finally sacked up and decided to do it myself w/ a little help from my friends (wow, wonder years flashback.) Here's my experience:- It took MUCH longer than I had expected (3-4 hours), though a lot of this may have been contributed to the fact that I did NOT remove or lower the bumper. - I had to remove the airbox/intake to reach the driver-side light. This took about 20seconds. - Finding a place to mount the ballasts is a pain, there's not a whole lot of room... The Result? - Lights are friggin sweet... bright and sexy as hell - Occasional light error which goes away in about 5seconds. This does not happen all the time. - My lights are no longer leveled. One is slightly higher than the other and blinds motorists in front of me. I've gotten quite a few pissed off looks... This being said, does ANYONE know how to level non-adaptive headlights??? This is one my major priorities right now... Edit: Found my answer in DIY section, will correct this when I get off work! Other than that, overall good experience and I'm glad I bought them. Good luck to the rest of you who are considering the upgrade. EDIT: Alright. I tried the whole trying to take pics of lights thing and it just isn't working out. If you've got any tips on how to do this properly please let me know and I'll get pics up right away... I did, however, take a video. Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9uGGQARi2A Last edited by Beerflakes; 03-13-2007 at 10:43 AM.. Reason: Updates...
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03-12-2007, 10:32 AM	#2
2009BMW335 Captain 34 Rep 674 Posts Drives: . Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: davie, fl iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 335i [0.00]	sweet, glad to hear you did the install yourself!!! and that you enjoy them
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03-12-2007, 10:41 AM	#3
canucklion pull my finger to get your kinder® surprise 148 Rep 10,455 Posts Drives: circles around you Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada iTrader: (9)	HID in the halogen house = dispersed light gallore __________________
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03-12-2007, 11:29 AM	#4
NaViT Banned 69 Rep 3,404 Posts Drives: 04 M3/E92 335i Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: N.Florida iTrader: (11)	i love HIDs but i didnt know it was much of a mission to do it on these new cars
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03-12-2007, 11:31 AM	#5
Beerflakes Lieutenant 150 Rep 409 Posts Drives: 2020 X5, 2021 M550i (soon) Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: MO iTrader: (3)	It would have been cake if the relays weren't required. The relays require you to ground a wire and feed one to the battery.
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03-12-2007, 11:48 AM	#6
cm3rc Colonel 85 Rep 2,221 Posts Drives: 2006 E90 Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Ferndale MI iTrader: (8) Garage List 06 325i [0.00]	pics pics!! lol did you have to "customize" yours? cuz longtran and ksfrogman did mine.. took about 4hrs.. __________________ www.socale90.com
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03-12-2007, 12:02 PM	#7
Minipuck V 2.0 秘書負責保持它真正 353 Rep 24,954 Posts Drives: 快車 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: 在您的母親上面 iTrader: (1)	it is not going to be level ... i believe it is the left side that is aimed higher so it lights up road signs to the right a lot more ...
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03-12-2007, 05:24 PM	#11
GUNN Private First Class 15 Rep 128 Posts Drives: 06 E90 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto, Canada iTrader: (2)	I actually just ordered the MTEC 6000k's... are they going to be uneven??
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03-12-2007, 05:34 PM	#12
hhkim Lieutenant 40 Rep 481 Posts Drives: '10 335d Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: LA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 325xi [0.00]	lol didnt wanna do that....but kinda necessary show us those unleveled dispersed lights! __________________ MY10 335d: Montego Blue, Oyster/Black Leather, Aluminum Trim, Navi, ZSP with Paddle Shifters, ZCW, Alarm Order Placed: Aug 15th, In Production: Sept 1st, At Port of Exit & Awaiting Transport: Sept 15th, Sept 16th, At Prep Center: Oct 7th, Released to Carrier: Oct 22nd, Delivered: Nov 11
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03-12-2007, 05:57 PM	#13
KkSc Major General 173 Rep 6,223 Posts Drives: 13'FR-S/15' F80 M3 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: North Vancouver, BC iTrader: (10)	you need to take away the air box to put the light in??is it easy to take it off and put it back??
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03-12-2007, 06:21 PM	#16
KkSc Major General 173 Rep 6,223 Posts Drives: 13'FR-S/15' F80 M3 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: North Vancouver, BC iTrader: (10)	cuz i dun want to remove the bumper too, so is it really easy to take off the airbox, air box is the black one behind the bumper right?after all is it simple to put if back?
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03-12-2007, 06:32 PM	#18
KkSc Major General 173 Rep 6,223 Posts Drives: 13'FR-S/15' F80 M3 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: North Vancouver, BC iTrader: (10)	oh..that's good...thx!!
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03-12-2007, 06:51 PM	#19
Beerflakes Lieutenant 150 Rep 409 Posts Drives: 2020 X5, 2021 M550i (soon) Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: MO iTrader: (3)	Here is the manual. Last edited by Beerflakes; 03-12-2007 at 07:09 PM..
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03-12-2007, 07:47 PM	#20
GUNN Private First Class 15 Rep 128 Posts Drives: 06 E90 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto, Canada iTrader: (2)	sweet..... now let's see some car pics!!!!
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03-12-2007, 09:34 PM	#21
montreal_bimmer OEMconcept 174 Rep 5,593 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Canada \| USA iTrader: (6) Garage List 2006 325i [10.00]	congrats on the DIY
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03-12-2007, 11:54 PM	#22
Beerflakes Lieutenant 150 Rep 409 Posts Drives: 2020 X5, 2021 M550i (soon) Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: MO iTrader: (3)	I posted this above but incase you didn't see it, I wasn't able to take pics because I'm photographically retarded. However, I did record a video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9uGGQARi2A By the way... I did end up leveling them. They were aimed very high as well, I realized this after people continuously drove by either covering their eyes from the light, giving me the finger, flashing or honking. All is good now.
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